Mr Daniel Kariuki Chege died in a fire tragedy in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. PHOTO|COURTESY
A Kenyan man who US authorities
described as homeless has died following an explosion that razed a
building he was in. The building was located in Forest Park, about
twenty miles South of the city of Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
The man has been identified as Daniel Kariuki Chege aka Kandithi.
Clayton County authorities said the man “may have been asleep when several explosions rocked the building.”
“Daniel
was well known around here. He usually spent the night inside the
building to keep the wintery weather at bay,” said Moses Freeman, a
friend to the deceased. “He was an amiable man,” he added.
According
to witnesses, fire fighters responding to a 911 call around 9 p.m. on
Friday January 9th found a building burning with a man trapped inside.
WORKED FOR FIVE HOURS
Atlanta’s WSB-TV reported that 50 fire fighters worked for five hours to control the blaze.
Officials said the building may have been a mechanic shop. Several acetylene tanks had exploded inside the building.
Crews spent hours looking through the debris overnight for any additional victims.
A
friend to the deceased and who spoke to Daily Nation on condition of
anonymity said it took the family several days before learning that it
was Daniel who had died in the fire tragedy.
“Initially,
the local media did not have the name of the victim. When authorities
contacted the family four days later, they were devastated,” he said.
Daniel’s
sister, Grace Nyambura Wandu, on Wednesday appealed to the Kenyan
community and other well wishers to turn up for a memorial
service-cum-fundraiser on Saturday January 24th at Beulah Heights
University
Student Centre in Atlanta to “help us bury our brother.”
The
burial will take place on Saturday January 31st at Mt Harmony Memorial
Gardens, 581 Veterans Memorial Hwy, SE, Mableton, GA 30126.
By the time of going to press, authorities were still investigating the actual cause of the fire.
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